The 360 launched to a full media blitz and fanfare, including an extravagant launch at the Mojave Desert that was a magnet for the mainstream news media.

But what happened with the Wii U?

Nintendo provided masks so that Wii U buyers can hide their shame.

Sure, Nintendo World at NYC sure got long lines from the hardcore Nintendo faithful; but a very great number of employees in Walmarts across the country didn’t even know what a Wii U was, let alone the costumers.

The lack of education among the general populace allowed many costumers to buy a Wii U before it was supposed to have been sold, with various gamers getting their hands on and going online hours (and in some extreme cases, a day) before the people who waited in line weeks in front of Nintendo World at NYC could buy the first one.

But there’s a catch: Can the Wii U still take off? The Dreamcast had a phenomenal launch, but it was not enough to prevent its death. The original Wii’s source of success was also not because of a huge launch, but because of unstoppable word-of-mouth.

But can Nintendo bank on word-of-mouth for this new system like they did with the Wii? The idea of the Wii U was certainly not an easy one to transfer before launch unlike the Wii; it is not an “all-new” thing, but a mix-match of current trends (the rise of tablet use in the West and the move to handheld gaming in Japan).

The Wii U’s success can only go up from here….but was it a mistake to miss its chance for a great first impression? What was the problem, and is it even a problem?